Limb motion measurement device for swimming training

ABSTRACT

A limb motion measurement device for swimming training includes a sense glove and a sense shoe able to measure and collect the states of moving hands and feet of a swimmer in a training practice, including strength, displacement, velocity, bearing angle, number of times, frequency and time parameters, and to generate a serial of limb motion data of arm stroking and leg kicking motions. These organized and quantified limb motion data can be transmitted outwards to an external computer for the swimmer to study and to produce useful information of more efficient movements and tempos of swimming techniques. Accordingly, the limb motion measurement device for swimming training can be applied to improve swimming techniques in a scientific way.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a limb motion measurement device for swimming training and, more particularly, to an instrument capable of measuring and collecting the states of moving hands and feet including strength, displacement, velocity, bearing angles, number of times, frequency and time parameters of arm stroking and leg kicking in a swimming practice. The states of moving hands and feet of a swimmer are then transformed into a serial of limb motion data by the device. Through carefully examining the systematized limb motion data, the swimmer is able to correct the movements and the tempos to improve his/her swimming techniques.

b) Description of the Prior Art

Swimming is an important category of international sport competition, which is also very popular all over the world. Many people taking swimming as their regular exercise are eager for useful training tools to improve their swimming performance.

Many hand paddles and foot flippers for swimming training with various types, shapes and functions are commercially available in the market. These training tools are used only to enhance the strength of arm stroking and leg kicking of a swimmer to improve the forward moving speed in water. However, these training tools are not able to systematize and quantify the limb motions to help a swimmer to have better swimming techniques with more efficiency.

Therefore, the existing training tools for swimming are not well designed enough, and further improvements are required. A training device capable of measuring and collecting the limb motions of a swimmer to support scientific ways of understanding and learning swimming techniques is therefore invented.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Based on years of experience in designing, developing and manufacturing relevant products, the inventor of the present application has accomplished the described improvements after strenuous experiments and careful evaluations.

The main objective of the invention is to provide a limb motion measurement device for swimming training capable of measuring and collecting the states of moving hands and feet of a swimmer, and generating a serial of limb motion data including strength, displacement, velocity, bearing angle, number of times, frequency and time parameters of arm stroking and leg kicking of the swimmer. These organized and quantified limb motion data are carefully studied and examined by the swimmer to produce useful information of more efficient movements and tempos of arm stroking and leg kicking to improve swimming techniques. To achieve the described objective, the limb motion measurement device for swimming training of the invention consists of a sense glove and a sense shoe.

The sense glove comprises a control circuit, a pressure sense film, an attitude sensor, a screen, a timer, a battery and an information transmission circuit. The control circuit is provided in the sense glove to control the operations of all electronic circuits and components. The pressure sense film, made up of a plurality of force sensitive electro-elements with piezoelectricity arranged in a matrix form, is covered on the palm side surface of the sense glove and electrically connected to the control circuit. A force sensitive electro-element with piezoelectricity will vary its output electrical signal depending on how much force is applied to it. Therefore, the pressure sense film is able to measure the pressure values on different surface area of the sense glove when acting with and pushing water during an arm stroking motion by collecting the output electrical signals of all force sensitive electro-elements with piezoelectricity for the control circuit to further process. The attitude sensor, fixed to the sense glove and electrically connected to the control circuit, is able to provide estimation of the orientation of the sense glove in space. In other words, measurements of rotation in three-dimensional space, i.e. pitch, roll and yaw, of the sense glove can be carried out by the attitude sensor to produce the movement values of arm stroking after further calculations by the control circuit. The screen, provided on the lower portion of the back side surface of the sense glove, is electrically connected to the control circuit to display the operational information being processed. The timer is embedded in the control circuit to provide all time parameters required by the control circuit to calculate the pressure values and the movement values of the sense glove during an arm stroking motion. The battery is electrically connected to the control circuit to supply electricity to operate the sense glove. The information transmission circuit is embedded in the control circuit to communicate the sense glove with an external computer.

As a result, the states of swimmer's moving hands during an arm stroking motion can be measured by the sense glove as a serial of pressure values and movement values of the sense glove, including strength, displacement, velocity, bearing angle, number of times and frequency. The pressure values and the movement values obtained by the sense glove can be transmitted outwards to an external computer for further study, and the swimmer's commands can be transmitted to the sense glove.

The sense shoe works in the same way to the sense glove, which comprises a control circuit, a pressure sense film, an attitude sensor, a screen, a timer, a battery and an information transmission circuit. The control circuit is provided in the sense shoe to control the operations of all electronic circuits and components. The pressure sense film is covered on the upper and the bottom surfaces of the sense shoe to measure the pressure values with water during a leg kicking motion. The attitude sensor is fixed to the sense shoe and electrically connected to the control circuit to produce the movement values of a leg kicking motion. The screen is provided on the upper surface of the sense shoe to display the operational information being processed. The timer is embedded in the control circuit to provide all time parameters required by the control circuit to calculate the pressure values and the movement values of the sense shoe during a leg kicking motion. The battery is electrically connected to the control circuit to supply electricity to operate the sense shoe. The information transmission circuit is embedded in the control circuit to transmit the pressure value and the movement values produced by the sense shoe outwards to an external computer and to receive the swimmer's commands.

A swimmer can wear the limb motion measurement device for swimming training in a practice to measure and collect the states of moving hands and feet during an arm stroking motion and a leg kicking motion respectively. A serial of organized and quantified limb motion data, i.e. the pressure values and the movement values of the sense glove and the sense shoe, including strength, displacement, velocity, bearing angle, number of times, frequency and time parameters are produced accordingly. These limb motion data can be transmitted to an external computer for further processing and examining. Therefore, the swimmer is able to produce useful information of more efficient arm stroking motion and leg kicking motion to improve swimming techniques. The aim to have scientific ways of swimming training is achieved.

To enable a further understanding of the objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, the brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are external plane views showing the palm side and the back side of the sense glove of the limb motion measurement device for swimming training.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of all electronic circuits and components of the sense glove of the limb motion measurement device for swimming training.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are external plane views showing the upper side and the bottom side of the sense shoe of the limb motion measurement device for swimming training.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of all electronic circuits and components of the sense shoe of the limb motion measurement device for swimming training.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a limb motion measurement device for swimming training, referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, which comprises a sense glove 10 and a sense shoe 20 to measure and collect the states of moving hands and feet of a swimmer.

Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the sense glove 10 comprises a control circuit 11, a pressure sense film 12, an attitude sensor 13, a screen 14, a timer 15, a battery 17, an information transmission circuit 16 and an elastic touch fastener 18 in order to produce a serial of motion data of the swimmer's hands during an arm stroking motion.

The control circuit 11 is provided in the sense glove 10 for controlling the operations of all electronic circuits and components.

The pressure sense film 12 is made up of a plurality of force sensitive electro-elements 121 with piezoelectricity arranged in a matrix form, that each force sensitive electro-element 121 with piezoelectricity will vary its output signal depending on how much force is applied to it. In addition, the pressure sense film 12 is covered on the palm side surface of the sense glove 10 and electrically connected to the control circuit 11. Therefore, the pressure sense film 12 is able to measure the pressure values on different surface areas of the sense glove 10 when acting with and pushing water during an arm stroking motion. The measured pressure values are further transmitted to the control circuit 11 for processing.

The attitude sensor 13 is fixed to the sense glove 10 and electrically connected to the control circuit 11 to provide estimation of the orientation of the sense glove in space. The measurements of pitch, roll and yaw of the sense glove 10 are carried out for the control circuit 11 to produce the movement values of an arm stroking motion.

The screen 14 is provided on the lower portion of the back side surface of the sense glove 10 and electrically connected to the control circuit 11. The operational information of the sense glove currently processed by the control circuit 11 are displayed on the screen 14.

The timer 15 is embedded in the control circuit 11 to produce all time parameters required to calculate the pressure values and the movement values of the sense glove 10 during an arm stroking motion, and to count the number of times and the frequency of all arm stroking motions in a complete training practice.

The battery 17 is electrically connected to the control circuit 11 to supply electricity to operate the sense glove 10. In addition, the battery 17 is chargeable.

The information transmission circuit 16 is embedded in the control circuit 11 to communicate the sense glove 10 with an external computer. The pressure values, the movement values, the number of times and the frequency measured by the pressure sense film 12, the attitude sensor 13 and the timer 15 cooperatively are transmitted outwards as a serial of motion data of the sense glove 10 by the control circuit 11 through the information transmission circuit 16 to an external computer for further swimmer study. The swimmer's commands are also from the external computer through the information transmission circuit 16 to the control circuit 11 of the sense glove 10.

The elastic and touch fastener 18 is provided at the lower portion of the sense glove 10. The swimmer is able to wear the sense glove 10 firmly on a hand by binding the elastic and touch fastener 18 tightly around the wrist.

Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the sense shoe 20 is able to produce a serial of motion data of the swimmer's feet during a leg kicking motion in the same way to the sense glove 10. The sense shoe 20 comprises a control circuit 21, a pressure sense film 22, an attitude sensor 23, a screen 24, a timer 25, a battery 27 and an information transmission circuit 26.

The control circuit 21 is provided in the sense shoe 20 for controlling the operations of all electronic circuits and components.

The pressure sense film 22, made up of a plurality of force sensitive electro-elements 221 with piezoelectricity, is covered on the upper and the bottom surfaces of the sense shoe 20 and electrically connected to the control circuit 21. Therefore, the pressure sense film 22 is able to measure the pressure values on different surface areas of the sense shoe 20 when acting with and pushing water during a leg kicking motion.

The attitude sensor 23 is fixed to the sense shoe 20 and electrically connected to the control circuit 21 to measure the orientation of the sense shoe 20 in space. The measurements of pitch, roll and yaw of the sense shoe 20 are used by the control circuit 21 to generate the movement values of a leg kicking motion.

The screen 24 is provided on the upper surface of the sense shoe 20 and electrically connected to the control circuit 21 to display the operational information of the sense shoe 20.

The timer 25 is embedded in the control circuit 21 to provide all time parameters required to calculate the pressure values and the movement values of the sense shoe 20 during a leg kicking motion, and to count the number of times and the frequency of all leg kicking motions in a complete training practice.

The battery 27 is chargeable and electrically connected to the control circuit 21 to supply electricity to operate the sense shoe 20.

The information transmission circuit 26 is embedded in the control circuit 21 to communicate the sense shoe 20 with an external computer. The pressure values, the movement values, the number of times and the frequency measured by the sense shoe 20 are transmitted outwards as a serial of motion data and the swimmer's commands are transmitted inwards through the information transmission circuit 26.

As a result, the sense gloves 10 and the sense shoes 20 can be put on a swimmer's hands and feet in a training practice to measure and collect the states of moving hands and feet including strength, displacement, velocity, bearing angle, number of times, frequency and time parameters of arm stroking motions and leg kicking motions respectively. These states of moving hands and feet are transmitted, in the form of a serial of organized and quantified limb motion data, to an external computer for further processing. By carefully examining the limb motion data, the swimmer is able to produce useful information of more efficient arm stroking motions and leg kicking motions to improve swimming techniques.

The limb motion measurement device for swimming training of the invention is novel, which is neither disclosed in any publication nor similar to any products commercially available. In addition, the invention provides unique characteristics and functions which cannot be found in the prior art. It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A limb motion measurement device for swimming training comprising a sense glove and a sense shoe.
 2. The limb motion measurement device for swimming training of claim 1, wherein the sense glove comprising: a control circuit electrically connecting to and controlling all electronic components of the sense glove; a pressure sense film electrically connected to the control circuit and covered on the palm side surface of the sense glove where the acting strength of the sense glove with water produced during an arm stroking motion; an attitude sensor electrically connected to the control circuit and fixed to the sense glove to measure the orientation of the sense glove during an arm stroking motion; a screen electrically connected to the control circuit and fixed on the lower portion of the back side surface of the sense glove to display the operational information being processed; a timer embedded in the control circuit to provide all time parameters required to generate a serial of motion data of the sense glove during an arm stroking motion; and an information transmission circuit embedded in the control circuit to transmit the motion data outwards to an external computer and the swimmer's commands in the opposite direction.
 3. The limb motion measurement device for swimming training of claim 1, wherein the sense shoe comprising: a control circuit electrically connecting to and controlling all electronic components of the sense shoe; a pressure sense film electrically connected to the control circuit and covered on the upper and the bottom surfaces of the sense shoe where the acting strength of the sense shoe with water produced during a leg kicking motion; an attitude sensor electrically connected to the control circuit and fixed to the sense shoe to measure the orientation of the sense shoe during a leg kicking motion; a screen electrically connected to the control circuit and fixed on the upper surface of the sense shoe to display the operational information being processed; a timer embedded in the control circuit to provide all time parameters required to generate a serial of motion data of the sense shoe during a leg kicking motion; and an information transmission circuit embedded in the control circuit to transmit the motion data outwards to an external computer and the swimmer's commands in the opposite direction.
 4. The limb motion measurement device for swimming training of claim 2, wherein an elastic and touch fastener being provided at the lower wrist portion of the sense glove.
 5. The limb motion measurement device for swimming training of claim 2, wherein the sense glove being provided with a chargeable battery electrically connecting to the control circuit of the sense glove.
 6. The limb motion measurement device for swimming training of claim 3, wherein the sense shoe being provided with a chargeable battery electrically connecting to the control circuit of the sense shoe. 